Light up for Winter Festival fun

Oban will be lighting up for this year’s Winter Festival, writes Kathie Griffiths.

To maximise sparkle and make the 10-day event dazzle more than ever when it starts on November, businesses, friends, families and neighbours townwide are being asked to turn up the glow power.

The last festival in 2019, with its 53 free events, attracted more than 26,000 people, raised £37,900 for good causes and brought £1.8million to Oban’s economy.

After a year off in 2020 because of Covid, this year’s festival team will be pulling out all the stops and want the town to plug in to all the fun.

To brighten up the dark nights, festival organisers want people to let their imaginations run wild and get creative, lighting up their windows and gardens, getting together with neighbours to illuminate their streets.

A festival spokesperson said: ‘Anything is possible. Glasgow has a similar thing, the ideas people come up with are fabulous. There was one where flats from a basement floor to the top storey did their windows up to look like parts of a giraffe!

‘It can be any theme people want!’

To let organisers know that you are lighting up for the festival, you can get in touch by emailing info@obanwinterfestival.com

There will be prizes to be won.

Shops in town are also being urged to join in and to dress their windows for the occasion.

Winner of the 2019 bestdressed Winter Festival shop window was George Street’s Amore Hairdressing, owned by Rebecca Neilson.

Late night Winter Festival shopping will be Thursday November 25, names of shops taking part will be listed nearer the time.

Plans are also in the pipeline to use McCaig’s Tower as an outdoor gallery during the festival week, projecting giant images on to the inside of its walls.

This year’s festival will be smaller than in previous years, with Covid-safety in mind.

Organisers say it will be just as good but delivered in a different way, with some events possibly having to be ticketed.